Tuber harvester



Feb. 11, 1936. J. G. HEASLET 2,030,587

TUBER HARVESTER Filed Nov. 19, 1934 INVEN' I'OR a Patented Feb. 11, 19 3G x I 4 "U I -.14 STATES PATENT oFFIc runes nanvns'rm Application November 19, 1934. Serial No. "253,602v

' 11 Claims. '(Cl. 55-4!) This invention relates to a harvesting machine for rigidity by the gusset plate IS, the ends of the more especially, to a tuber digger or harbraces I! being bolted to housing 5. vester. v j Digger and conveyor members is inthe form.

The harvesting of tubers has been, and is, anj of a plurality of fingers are positioned on each 5 expensive operation, as the conventional machine side of the tractor and are pivotally secured to 5 or implement used in this work is costly, both a shaft 2|. These digger and. conveyor memfrom the initial investment as well as the upkeep. bers or arms l9 are prefera ly h p 80 t This latter cost during the harvesting season, when secured'together by means of a horizontal lasting only a. few weeks, at times reaches 50% tie rod 22,, the forward portions of the digger fin- 10 ofthe initial cost of the equipment which, obvigers H are tape ed fo parallel p Spaces 10 ously, greatly. increases the production cost of -23 through which soil may pass while the rearproducing tubers. ward portions of IS are widened and abut each The present invention has for its purpose the oth'enfform'ing a closed platform or conveyor production of a tuber harvester which is simple base i4.

in construction, economical inoperation and of Attached to each of the series of'conveyor 5 low initial cost, and so designedas to become an ge'r m mbe l9 a d preferably on each Side integral part of a track laying tractor. thereof are links 25 which are pivoted to the bar Not alone are the present tuber harvesters 22 at one endand to a bell crank lever 26 at the costly andextremely complicated, they are also pp n h cranks 25 are mellnted 011 29 extremely inefficient. The separation of the members 21 and are operated by arms 28 which 23 tubers from the earth varies anywhere from 75% are pivoted to lever arms 29, having pawl handles to 9 thus, -burying or hiding a portion of the 3|, the pawl (not shown) engages in the quadrant crop to the loss of the producer. notches 32 which form a part of the quadrant 33,

An object, therefore, of this invention is to proand, in turn, are bolted to the sides of the transvide a tuber harvester having a very high permission case of the tractor. Thus, any movement 5 091115388 Of Separation; v of the hand'lever 29 will raise or lower the con- A further object of this invention is to proveyor assembly and digger fingers to any desired vide the harvester with-integral digger and conposition I i I veyor members. I Pivoted fork members 34 are secured to side Fig. l is a. top plan view of the tuber harvester pins 35 which, in turn, are afllxed to the tractor supported by and carried on a track laying tracaxle housings 36 by means of yokes 31. These U-shaped fork members 34 extend rearwardly Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rear portion of from theirpivotal connections and'are vertically the tractor and aisectional elevation of the tuber p rted by thread d Screws 38 which are harvester taken on line 2'-2 of Fig. 1. cured through brackets 39 which, in turn, are 5 Fig. 3 is a section of a declutching mechanism d y afl the channel Shaped S taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. ber l5.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of The screw members 38 are threaded through reference, wherein like numerals correspondto a p v d ba l u 39a c al y secured to the 40 like parts, reference numeral 5 is the rear housing fork 34 which perhhts the mislhg lowering of 40 of a track laying tractor, numeral 6 is an articuthe 'S P members 3 when the screws 33 lated, endless 'tracksupported on rollers 1 wh are operated. Between the open end portionsof are mounted on the tractor frames 8, the said fork members 34 mounted t a being driven by sprocket wheels. 9 w rotatable drums 4| aflixed to axles 42, carrying are mounted, on driving axles I 0. Removably Wrocket Wheels and dnvein bylsprocket chams 45 44. These drums 4| have resilient fingers 45 on secured to the tractor drive sprocket wheels 9 are 1w auxiliary sprocketlwheels' l'l secured to their retheir out-er periphenes and during the m travel of the tractor the are revolved in the diigectlvetractor dnve sprocket wheels 9 by bolts rection as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. A

To the rear of the tractor is a transverse sup- 'gfig ig zf g f zggg fg gg? i g g gg porting member l3 secured by means of 's clutching and declutching mechanism 41 is pro-, brackets Ma and Nb to a .channel shaped cross vide'd between t r prockets 43 and th member I5 Which, n him, is d y ec d to drum axles 42, and drives the axles through the tractor housing '5 through members 16a means of ratchets 48 which arecontrolled by 55 and l6b. I yokes 49 secured in open position through means The transverse member I3 is also secured to of p n 5| inserted through One n h y the upper portion of the tractor housing 5 by and registering with holes 52 of the frame 34. braces II. These brace members are preferably Operation placed in the form of an X and are reinforced Asthe tractor moves forward, the digger fingers 00 plow the earth beneath the tuber and carry the tubers together with the earth upwardly on the convey" where a portion of the earth sifts through the openings 23 in the conveyor. The continued rearward movement of the tubers: and soil brings'them in contact with the resilient fingers mounted'on the revolving drum. A separation of soil and potatoes is caused by the fingers throwing the tubers rearwardly and permitting the soil to drop from the rear of the conveyor.

It is preferred that the drum having the resilient fingers mounted thereon be operated at a greater speed than-the normal traveling speed of the tractor. The speed may be varied by decreasing the pitch diameter of the sprocket wheel I] or by. increasing the pitch diameter of the sprocket wheel 43. The penetration of the earth by the digger conveyors may be varied in order to pick up all of the tubers and it is preferable that these points of the digger fingers be positioned almost directly under the drivers seat, thus permitting complete visibility of the entire operation.

What I claim is:

1. A tuber harvester including a wide tread track-laying tractor, sets of forwardly extending digger fingers pivotally connected to a platform secured to the rear of said tractor, and a rotary pusher mounted adjacent the said platform and adapted to dispose material therefrom.

'2. A tuber harvester including a wide tread track-laying type tractor, the said tractor having parallel chassis side frames pivotally secured between parallel articulated tracks', sets of for- .wardly extending digger fingers pivotally connected to a rearwardly extending platform secured to the rear of said tractor, the saidsets of digger fingers contacting with the ground at a point between the said side frames and the articulated tracks.

3. A tuber harvester including a self-propelled vehicle, a rearwardly extending platform attached to said vehicle, a series of digger fingers pivotally connected to said platform, the forward ends of said fingers contacting with the ground adjacent the vehicle, a. drum having radial projections thereon mounted above the said platform, the said drum being positively driven and adapted to sweep said platform;

4. In a tuber harvester, a self-propelled tracklaying vehicle, a rearwardly, extending platform attached to said vehicle, a, series of forwardly extending digger fingers afl'ixed to said platform, a rotating drum carrying radial fingers on its periphery mounted above the said plat-form, the said rotating drum being positively driven and so positioned that the said radial fingers sweep the said platform.

5. A tuber harvester including a platform afiixed to the rearof a tractor, sets of forwardly inclined ground-engaging digger fingers pivotally secured to the rearward portion of said platform on'opposite sides thereof, and a series of rotary pusher members afiixed to a drum adjacent the rear of each set of digger fingers and adapted tomove're'arwardly the material deposited on the said platform by the inclined diggers.

6. In combination with a crawler type tractor, a tuber harvesting mechanism, said mechanism including sets of forwardly extending digger fingers pivotally connected to a platform secured at the rear of said tractor, said sets of digger fingers being pivotally secured intermediate their ends to a link which is pivoted to a bell-crank, and a hand lever pivotally connected to said bell-crank for raising and lowering the free end of said digger fingers.

'7. In combination, atuber harvester and tracklaying tractor, said tractor including a chassisand spaced parallel articulated tracks, a rearwardly extending platform affixed to the rear of said tractor, a series of forwardly extending digger fingers pivoted to the said platform and contacting with the ground between the said tractor chassis and spaced articulated tracks, horizontal drums having radial pins thereon journalled between forks pivotally supported on either side of the tractor chassis, said drums being positively driven and having the radial pins thereon sweeping the said platform.

8. In combination, a tuber harvester and tracklaying tractor, said tractor including a chassis and spaced parallel articulated tracks, a rearwardly extending platform aflixed to the rear of said tractor, a series of forwardly extending digger fingers pivoted to the said platform and contacting with the ground between the said tractor chassis and spaced articulated tracks,

horizontal drums having radial pinsthereon journalled between forks pivotally supported on either side of the tractor chassis, said drums being positively driven and having the radial pins thereon sweeping the said platform, and screw shafts aflixed to the said platform and threaded through the said pivoted forks for adjusting the i said drums in relation to the said platform.

9. A tuber harvester including a self propelled vehicle, a rearwardly extending platform attached to said vehicle, a series of digger fingers pivotally connected to said platform, the forward ends of said fingers contacting with the ground adjacent the vehicle, a positively driven horizontal drum mounted above the rearwardly exte'nding platform, resilient radial fingers projecting from the periphery of the drum and adapted to frictionally engage the solid materials deposited on the platform and selectively project them therefrom.

10. A tuber harvester including a self propelled vehicle, a rearwardly extending platform attached to said vehicle, a series of digger fingers pivotally connected to said platform, the forward ends of said fingers contacting with the ground adjacent the vehicle, a power driven drum having a plurality of resilient fingers affixed to its outer periphery mounted adjacent the said platform,- the resilient fingers contacting with solids deposited on the platform by the drum having radial projections thereon mounted 7 above the said platform, ,said radial projections being, resilient and adapted to sweep material deposited on said platform by the digger fingers, the sweeping action of the resilient fingers classifying the material dependent on its specific gravity.

' JAMES G. HEASLET. 

